This seems like a silly question but what do you think about doing some cario after lifting, when you're trying to bulk up? I've been lifting heavy, doing a 5x5 workout program and making gains all around but I keep shedding weight. I am taking in about 4000 calories a day (give or take a few hundred). Been taking in 5g of creatine for the last 2 weeks and I've lost another 1lb in the last 2 weeks (down 8lbs in 3 months). The only thing I can think of that's making me burn the calories and shed the weight is basketball. I lift every mon, wed, friday night, and then play ball right after for about an hour or two (i usually just go after the gym telling myself ill shoot for a few minutes to loosen up, but end up playing pick up games for a few hours).
Could basketball for 1-2hrs a day really be setting me back like this?

Why would you want to do cardio on a bulk? Thats just going to = more food you have to eat. I walk 45mins on my non training days, just because I'm trying to minimize how fucking fat I'm going to be at 200lbs. Still though it's just walking and I had to take into account that I'll be doing that when I totalled my calories.

But yea you shouldn't be able to play basket ball after working out. Even on bench day my legs are very tired because of hip drive and heavy bent over rows.

Hmm is it hard to find actual protein in Korea? Company I work for is based out of Korea and they say it's all BBQ. I eat a lot more than that on my lifting days, seems like theres something off with that calorie total.

Not to sidestep your question, but how can you manage to play basketball after working out? I can barely walk after most squat days

Your body adapts fairly quickly. I don't feel shit from squatting anymore, no DOMS or anything. I can't squat multiple days in a row because I'm used to it. Deadlifted max effort for the first time in like a year last month and it destroyed me. After a few weeks of doing it twice a week I don't get DOMS anymore.

On days I have classes (tuesday thursday) I won't have time for Breakfast but everything else is pretty similar (mon, wed, fri, sat, sun). I will also have 2-4 beers on those nights (tuesday thursdays).

And on workout days, I will take the Creatine with my post workout protein drink.

Oh, no, sorry, I wasn't trying to be snarky at all, I was serious. It makes sense, if I'm gonna choose to be more active, I would obviously need to take in more calories. I'm totally new to all this bulking up business so I'm taking in as much as I can from everyone here.

Your body adapts fairly quickly. I don't feel shit from squatting anymore, no DOMS or anything. I can't squat multiple days in a row because I'm used to it. Deadlifted max effort for the first time in like a year last month and it destroyed me. After a few weeks of doing it twice a week I don't get DOMS anymore.

Yeah, something I didn't anticipate when switching from 3 days/wk -> 2 days/wk is that my recovery time would actually get worse...

lol at the blanket statement of doing cardio means progress is left at the table, sorry. if you're competing and your cns is taxed to the max and you are already eating 5k+ a day, then sure, tone down the 2 hour cardio sessions. if you're like 95% of other people, the cardio monster is not going to come in and steal your gainzz. its a balance and i highly doubt the incremental benefit in terms of "lifting progress left on the table" outweighs the first unit of marginal utility from having the cardiovascular ability to walk up stairs without dying.